Illustration by Louis Agassiz Fuertes of Ithaca, New York, the most important ornothological artist next to John James Audubon.
Found between the pages of one of my mother's bird books, as we call her collection:
Flickers Use TV Antenna to Tap Reveille
Chicago Tribune Press Service
August 11, 1954
"Many birds have come to regard cities as wonderful clusters of caves, cliffs and convenient aids to living.
The flicker is one. This woodpecker with the built in pneumatic drill has discovered the television antenna. As an instrument for the flicker's early morning concerts, the metal antenna can hardly be surpassed by the most resounding tree.
New Habits Spread
As the birds of a species tend to pick up habits from each other, more and more TV owners probably will awaken in spring to the staccato of a flicker's ardent rapping.
Another avian fad was started by Britain's tiny titmice. IN 1921 a titmouse was seen uncapping and drinking from a milk bottle on a doorstep near Southampton. Since then the practice has spread thruout [Tribune style book word]the British Isles and into The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, according to the National Geography Society.
....to be continued ....
1 comment:
Crows are smart, as you know. Blue Jays, too. I am going to bird blog on Fridays I think. We have to try to retain a shard of sanity.
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Poor woodpeckers' habitat is being destroyed - and they sensed that you were a nice guy, Daliwood.
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